Overview
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem signed the ICE letter of intent with Canadian Ambassador Kirsten Hillman and Finland’s Economic Affairs Minister Sakari Puisto at DHS headquarters in Washington, D.C.
- The plan calls for 11 cutters, with four built with Canadian and Finnish partners before production moves to U.S. yards as domestic capacity is rebuilt.
- Officials said Finnish shipbuilding expertise and Canadian trainers will prepare American workers for icebreaker construction.
- Noem said a Texas shipyard has been acquired for training and eventual U.S. production, with contracting specifics and delivery timelines still to be set.
- Officials cast the program as both an economic lift and a defense response to rival powers, citing recent Coast Guard escorts of Chinese vessels near U.S. Arctic waters.